On Thursday night, Urban Meyer — with the help of his uncommon Buckeyes team — formally ended the reign he began.

Ohio State’s 42-35 win over top-seeded Alabama in the Sugar Bowl provided the latest implausible chapter to its storybook season and punctuated a Big Ten bowl mutiny that upended everything we thought we knew.

Meyer came to Ohio State in 2012 to build a deeper, faster program modeled after the titans of the SEC — the way he did in leading Florida to national titles in 2006 and 2008. Three top-five recruiting classes later, he has a team without equal in the once-invincible southern league.

The Buckeyes (13-1) will play second-seeded Oregon for the first College Football Playoff title on Jan. 12 in Arlington, Texas.

“We’re back,” linebacker Darron Lee said. “We’re back. Those that thought we were gone, we're back. Be afraid, very afraid."

It was surprise enough that a Buckeyes team with one win in 11 all-time bowl meetings against SEC teams vanquished, as third-string quarterback Cardale Jones said with a laugh, “the best team from the best conference in the history of the planet.” More surprising was the way they did it, rendering every area in which the Crimson Tide were judged to hold an advantage a Big Easy mirage.

Ezekiel Elliott sprinted for a Sugar Bowl-record 230 yards against a vaunted run defense yet to allow a 100-yard rusher, Jones overcame Alabama’s pressure to throw for 243 yards, and the Buckeyes frustrated a record-setting Crimson Tide offense. Alabama built a 21-6 lead on the strength of two early Buckeyes turnovers.

“We really were not stopping them," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “We had the momentum of the game because of the turnovers. We did not control the football game like we usually do.”

Afterward, Ohio State’s players bounded through a storm of confetti in shirts reading, “WON NOT DONE,” while a familiar cry rang through the Superdome.

“SEC! SEC! SEC!”

Except this time, it came from a pocket of delirious Ohio State fans as Alabama’s players exited the field.

And maybe Thursday will be remembered as the day the axis of power shifted.

All 10 Big Ten bowl-bound teams entered their postseason games as underdogs. Five won, including three on a banner New Year’s Day. Michigan State beat No. 5 Baylor while Wisconsin beat Auburn, both results of which gave Ohio State’s players confidence heading into their game. They had a final blast of proof they could play with anyone in the country.

“There's a perception out here,” Meyer said. “I'll tell you when I think the tide turned a little bit is when Wisconsin beat Auburn. Everybody on our team knew that. I made sure they knew that. So there's no doubt that when we saw Wisconsin beat Auburn, that was a major, major moment for us getting ready for this game.

“Also, I watched the end of the Michigan State game, and we were pulling hard for them. Our players, you should have seen their face, man, they knew. They knew.”

Asked afterward if Alabama was the most physical team Ohio State faced this season, Lee said no. That would be Michigan State.

“It was a big day for the Big Ten, and we were glad we were able to put an exclamation point on it tonight," OSU athletic director Gene Smith said in the hallway outside the Buckeyes’ locker room early Friday morning. “We had our struggles over the years, but our talent level is up and our coaching is up.”

Next up is Oregon, which rocked defending champion Florida State 59-20 in the Rose Bowl. Informed of the score, Meyer smiled and said, “I got to go. We’ve got to go get ready.” The same way the Buckeyes were underdogs against Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Alabama, they will be again, with Heisman-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Ducks installed as touchdown favorites.

Yet if the Buckeyes’ wild ride has offered any guidance, it might be best to keep an open mind.

“We showed the world that the Big Ten, hey, we're a powerhouse conference, too, now,” safety Vonn Bell said. “We're not backing down from anybody.”

KILL SHOT: If second guessing is permitted after a momentous win, what were the Buckeyes thinking airing it out in the final minutes?

Meyer was asking himself the same question.

With the Buckeyes protecting a 42-35 lead with 1:50 remaining, Meyer curiously called for Jones to throw it long on first down. The idea was to capitalize on the Tide’s overloaded box and deliver the game-ending dagger. But it backfired when the pass to Evan Spencer fell incomplete to stop the clock. Alabama had two timeouts remaining and got the ball back for a futile final drive seconds later.

“You start questioning why we threw that ball,” Meyer said. “It was my call to throw it down the field. They're playing zero coverage and everyone is within two yards of the line of scrimmage. It was my call. Maybe it wasn't the right call. I just kept thinking I screwed this thing up.”